Apparatus for landing flying-machines



H GEHNSBACK APPARATUS FOR LANDING FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZO. I918- PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

I c n o e? o naeaiao,

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sepia 23%, 199% Application fuel no, this. .do. @335, L5,

all whom it may concern:

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chines while alighting as to exerts a tractive force on eraloly employBe it known that l, l lneo Gnnnsnaonz, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and.

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovernents inApparatus for Landing Flying-Machines, of which the following is aspecification. My invention relates to landing mechanism for aeroplanesor other flying ma chines and to the process of efiecting the landin aThe main object is to provide a means whereby flying machines may alightfrom all directions gradually, smoothly and with-- out shock to themachine or its occupant,

and be held securely in place until lashed or otherwise fastened. Manytheories and mechanisms are known which have resulted fromunsucccssfulatt'empts to satisfactorily accomplish this object. At thepresent time where a large open field cannot be used, the most feasibleplan is to provide a run-way or platform which is necessarily sorestricted in area, especially in width and usnally in length too (thisis especially true on ships) that the mostexperienced aviators considerit so difficult to control the mabe impractical. accidents now occurduring had weather in landing on these run-ways.

lln carrying out my invention, l overcome the objections noted and use ameans which the flying machine while-still in motion to gradually retardor lorake its momentum and attract and hold it securely for lashing to asupport, and prefsaid means as a plurality of separated units so that thtractive force will not concentrate rat a single point, but will bedivided among the separated units. Further, electro-magnets are used .asthe at tracting means and are mounted in a glass platform or landingspace, serving both as an insulator for the magnets and as a means whichmay be illuminated by the use of search or other lights to assist inefiecting landings during darkness. The landing surface of the platformor space is to he lubri-v cated or treated so that a dying machine mayslide or travel thereon without nnnec-- essary friction, wear and noise.

In accompanying drawings, one practical.

invention is shown.

embodiment of the Figure 1 1s a perspective ln said drawings,

view showing the application of my prhvement to a fragment of a with ahydroplane disposed on the landing platform; 7

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view across the platform, showingfragments of its support and of the hydroplane, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of trio wiring used.

in the embodiment shown, the imprdvements are associated with abattleship, be ing supported from the main deck A landing run-way orplatform 5 is used, be ing supported fromthe deck by means of posts 6braced by suitable guys 7. This platform is capable of being supportedin any suitable manner, either on a ship, or elsewhere, permanently ordetachahly or collapsihly,

Said platform may he made of any preferred material, in the instanceshown how ever being of transparent Embedded in the glass, preferably intransverse pairs and with their upper surfaces flush with the uppersurface of the glass, are electro-magnets' 8. practical use, theseelectromagnets for example, may he 50 or inches in diameter and capableof attracting ZOOMX) pounds. The electromagnetic field will extendwithin 2 or 3 feet ahove them.

he elecbattleship and. I

with its outer edges surrounded by a barrier 10. lhis enlargementsupports acontroller 11 which is operable to energize or deenergize theelectro-magnets 8. vln thepresent instance, the current for theelectro-magnets is supplied by dynamo in of the battleship, Referenceshould now he had to Fig. 3. h

Referring to said Fi 3, the dynamo is shown at lilhaving rent through arheostate it to wires which are bridged by conductors 16, wiring theelectro-magnets 8 in parallel. An electric switch 17 is referahyprovided in one of the wires 13. lheostat l4 and switch 17, essentiallymake up the controller at ill.

the holler room leads l3 supplying con llll] Since the platform 5 istransparent, suiting from conductors 20, suspended from the.

droplane.

standards 6 or other suitable parts. In Fig. 3, it will be seen that thelamps 19 are arranged in parallel and that the conductors 20, may leadfrom the dynamo 12, and one of them have a switch 21 therein.

To cooperate with the landing apparatus, the flying machine of which aconventional type is shown at 22, mayhave iron or other suitablemetallic bars 23 capable of being attracted by the magnets 8. These barsare supported from the machine in any suitable manner as by means ofstruts 24. In landing, the bars 23 may slide oyer the platformand-magnets, and to this end, their under surfaces are preferablylubricated. llf desired however, these bars may be mounted on rollersorwheels 25 adapted to ride on the upper surface of the platform. It willbe noticed, that the bars 23 are in the 1ocations usually had by thepontoons of a hy- If the pontoons are carried by the flying machine,metallic strips or other means to provide metallic surfaces to be.attracted by the magnets, may be secured to their under surfaces.

In use, when a flying machine is about to land or alight on the platform5, the operator at the controller 11, manipulates it to energize themagnets 8 to the desired extent. When the flying machine approaches theplatform and isabout to land, its power is shut off. However, before itlands, it travels over and above the platform 5 while still possessingmomentum. To realize the tractive effeet 0 the magnets, the machine musttravel within 'two or three feet above them.

the bars 23' directly to the magnets but this. action is counteracted asthe bars will not travel in a straight path to the magnetsin View of themomentum of the machine. Be-I The neeaieo fore finally landing, passesover two or three sets of the magnets before its motion arrested, itwill be realized that the electromagnets attract the bars and securelyhold the flying machine on the platform. The flying machine ma then belashed or other wise secured to t e platform or adjacent structure,after which, the controller is operated to cut 01f the supply ofelectricity and deenergize the electro-magnets. If the landing beeffected during darkness, switch 21 is closed before the magnets areenergized in order to illuminate the landing for the aid and guidance ofthe aviator. ft is well, when passing over the magnets, for-the bars 23to be disposed where magnetic attraction is weakest and thencause thebars to travel in an inclined position toward and closer to the innersets of the electro-magnets.

li claim V i l. Landing apparatus having a platform of glass providedwith a recess, an electromagnet disposed in said recess with its upisfinally arrested. When".

the machine usually 2 per surface flush with the upper surface of theplatform, means to support the platform, means to energize saidelectro-magnets including wires, and platform through which thewirespass to the magnets.

2. Landing apparatus including a platform of glass, a plurality ofelectro-magnets embedded at intervals in said platform, means forcontrolling the energizing of said magnets, and means for illuminatingthe platform. V v

Intestimony whereof, I have affixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. HUGO GERNSBACK. Witnesses-z EDWARD WOOD, "DOROTHYKAuTRowI'rzI' means embedded in the

